What is the best pcb swap?

drft240 · #1 01-22-2003, 01:51 AM

im kinda of new to this but have a lot of electrical background and i was wondering what was the best pcb swapfor the zip zaps? i used a motor works pcb for the first swap because i like the LED and the steering setup. the other good thing was that if you swap the stock 1.2v nimh with a tomy 1.5v nicd the car will haul. so are these one of the better swaps or are the motor works like total crap. and either way which is the best car to use for the swap? thanks

Stridex · #2 01-22-2003, 01:58 AM

I've done LXX, Cannonballs, and Precious swaps, but my all time favorite was the MotorWorks PCB. In fact, it's the only car I drive now. I added a second battery and off I went. I made the right choice to buy four of those cars when i had the chance. My WalMart hasn't had them stocked since Christmas. Just an empty shelf that reads MotorWorks - $13.99. I check it every other day

sessiz10 · #3 01-22-2003, 03:02 AM

All of the walmarts around here have em. 1 of them has like 6 boxes/displays of them stacked 3 shelves full. I picked 1 up but didn't use it for a swap. I have a 49mhz and it's on a diff sub freq than the zips or bits 49mhz. So I decided to keep it, it's a nice little car especially for the price.
To answer your question I've used 2 panthers, and a shen so far. My next is gonna be a microsizer board for my last stock zip. The best way to find out if the donor is any good is to test a motor on that car and see how it performs.

drft240 · #4 01-22-2003, 12:53 PM

striderx what kind of batteries did you add and also do you know what kind of motor these have? they kind of look like motorola, and seem to run very fast.but do you know how fast like rpm wise, because i have a few bit racer 2.6 motors and was wondering which would be faster because i havent soldered the motor terminals for bit/zip motors in yet and if this motor is the fastest then why change a good thing? and any more info onwhat you did and how would be very much appreciated.

thanks

Stridex · #5 01-22-2003, 02:38 PM

Here's the link with pics of it. They're toward the end of the thread. My PCB SWAP

The batts are stock Zip batteries. While I agree with most that the MotorWorks motor is faster then most, nothing has ever beat my NOS with red gears. Because the MotorWorks motor is soldered in, I just toss it aside for later use. Maybe I'll make a mini-drill out of it. Really, any motor with a PCB swap and dual batts is going to give you great results. Well...almost all motors. After you've done the dual batts, play around with the motors. I think you'll find, if you charge the batts with an AC charger, that they'll all fly.

drft240 · #6 01-22-2003, 03:05 PM

stridex what did you do with the LED and what is that little plug in pic1 for, and also should i flip the board and turn it sideways?

also do you have detailed instructions on the rail steering such as parts and costs?

thanks

Stridex · #7 01-22-2003, 03:21 PM

I tossed the LED for performance reasons. Runs a bit faster without it. The plug is what connects the battery and motor to the PCB. The two steering wires are over the top of the PCB and screw securely into the two screw boxes. This prevents me from snapping a steering wire. The steering mechanism is simple. Get your self a thin drill bit. Thinnest you can find at Ace hardware. The tiny drill bits aren't where the others are, so be sure to ask. Then just put the drill bit in your hand and twist away. I found this is the best way to drill thru thin plastic. You may want to put a little handle on it. Make sure you put the hole exactly where I did. Then just get a thin metal bar that fits in the hole and cut it to size. Slide that bar thru the clear plastic piece and let it attach itself to the magnets. Use something plastic to push the pin down into place. All that is left is to cut some VERY THIN pieces of foam and add them to each side. I got the foam from a little piece I cut off my foam mattress topper. That's about as detail as it gets. Glueing the magnets is a lot of fun. Make sure they're put in the same way you pull them out. If one is flipped, your car won't steer. Also, after you have one magnet glued in place, the second one is a pain in the arse. Don't put the glue on the back of the magnet. Put it on the chassis where you'll be glueing it. Then attract the magnet onto an exacto knife. As quickly and as perfectly as possible, put it into place. Don't remove pressure for a few minutes. If it's not glued in all the way, it'll jump over to the other magnet and try to glue itself to it.

Nathan · #8 01-23-2003, 12:05 AM

Try a PCB mod and dual battery. Clone hunting can sometimes be a real pain. I ordered a 3-cell pack for the Laymans dual(triple)-cell mod, should make it a little faster

drft240 · #9 01-23-2003, 06:00 PM

hey stridex
where did you get the lexan bodies from and do they have a website. im kind of interested in the lamborghini and ferrari.
thanks

bigkid · #10 01-23-2003, 09:28 PM

shen qi wei + zip zap =

shenzap buttkicker!!

drft240 · #11 01-23-2003, 10:36 PM

i got the motorworks board into the zip and it flies. im going to do the 2or3 batt mod as soon as possible, as well as the steering rail. how do you build the ac charger, because right now i have an extra couple of charging pads. would radioshack have the plug and screw terminals that you used.
thanks

Stridex · #12 01-23-2003, 11:38 PM

Quote:

hey stridex
where did you get the lexan bodies from and do they have a website. im kind of interested in the lamborghini and ferrari.
thanks

http://www.radtrax.com/radstoreHO.html?

Just scroll all the way down on the left side. Look for it to say Lexan Bodies. All of those are made for HO scale slot cars. The lamborghini and ferrari fit well. Just have to do some trimming. The IROC is another one of my favorites. That Lexan body came out great and could fit any better. Those were the only three I got that fit well. The others were ok, but way too much work for me.

Congrat on getting the MotorWorks PCB in. Did you keep the steering set-up?

drft240 · #13 01-24-2003, 01:15 AM

i used the motorworks steering and like it alot. i will probably be doing more work on it this weekend. do you have any picks of the lexan bodies that you finished. i would really like to see what one looks like on a zip.
thanks.

drft240 · #14 01-24-2003, 01:36 AM

i found the iroc and a ferrari can-am, but no lamborghini so i was wondering what brand they were and if maybe the lambo was limited edition or something.

Stridex · #15 01-24-2003, 03:31 AM

Over Xmas break, I went to Vegas and paid those guys a visit. Wasn't willing to buy any of them unless I saw them first. So I can't tell you where or what drop down menu it was in or if it was in one at all. I just plucked them off the display spinner. It'll be a while til' I can put pics up. Greatest thing about these Lexan bodies is they weight NOTHING. Have you ever driven your ZZ without a body on? That exactly how it feels with a Lexan body on.